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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · pass · suit · land · bass · pitcher · cap · degree

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. land — ground
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bass — the fish
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cap — a lid
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — for sport
  16. land — a country
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. court — of law
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bass — low music
  24. pass — to succeed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com